The draft proposal, sent by China to potential partners in the South Pacific, calls for greater co-operation in security, police and cybersecurity, as well as in economic development, among other areas.
The draft proposal, submitted to CNN by a person with direct knowledge of the issue and first reported by Reuters, is expected to be discussed at the second meeting of Chinese-Pacific island ministers in Fiji next week – part of a 10-day regional diplomatic tour of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Wang’s tour began in the Solomon Islands on Thursday and will bring the minister to Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timor, according to China’s foreign ministry.
The draft proposal, outlined in a draft “Common Vision for Development” and a “Five-Year Action Plan”, reflects a bilateral security pact signed last month between China and the Solomon Islands, and could mark significant progress in Beijing’s influence in the region – but remains it is unclear whether it can win regional acceptance.
At least one country targeted by the agreement has already expressed concerns and received a wider response than other regional powers that are wary of China’s intentions.
In a letter to 22 other Pacific leaders seen by CNN, the President of the Federated States of Micronesia, David Panuello, said the draft proposal aimed to displace Pacific states with diplomatic ties with China “very close to Beijing’s orbit.”
Panuello argues that in addition to the impact on the sovereignty of Pacific nations, the signing of such an agreement could lead to a new Cold War amid tensions between China and the West.
The bill also sparked outrage in Australia, with new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – who was critical of his predecessor’s failure to prevent China’s deal with the Solomon Islands – on Thursday, saying his country “cannot afford” to “drop the ball”. In his response.
“This is China seeking to increase its influence in this region of the world, where Australia has been the chosen security partner since World War II,” he said, adding that Canberra would have to offer more support.
Last month, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manase Sogawara assured that Honiara’s deal with Beijing would “complement” an existing security agreement with Australia and “will not adversely affect or undermine peace and harmony in our region.” Solomon is about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) off the northeast coast of Australia.
However, in a wake of concern by the Albanian government over China’s expansion in the region, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong traveled to Fiji on Thursday, where – in a speech she did not name China directly – she described Australia as “a partner that does not come with affection. nor imposing unsustainable financial burdens. ”
“We are a partner that will not undermine Pacific priorities or Pacific institutions. We believe in transparency. We believe in real partnerships, “Wong said.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday that she was “very firm in the view that we in the Pacific have the means and ability to meet all existing security challenges.”
Beijing has not confirmed that it seeks a multilateral agreement in the region.
Wang’s visit was aimed at “further strengthening high-level exchanges, consolidating political mutual trust, expanding practical cooperation and deepening people-to-people ties, so as to build an even closer community with a shared future for China and the Pacific Islands.” countries, “a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.
The spokesman was also repulsed when asked about fears that a security agreement in the Pacific islands could provoke a Cold War – he called it “sensational remarks”.
In Washington on Wednesday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States was “aware that China is seeking to negotiate a number of arrangements during the foreign minister’s visit to the region.”
“We are concerned that these agreements can be negotiated in a swift, non-transparent process,” he said, citing what he described as Beijing’s model of offering “shady, vague deals”, while adding that the United States respects the countries’ capabilities. to make their own sovereign decisions.
The proposed draft security agreement and Wang’s tour come amid growing concerns from other regional powers about Beijing’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.
China claims almost the entire vast South China Sea as its sovereign territory. He built and militarized his facilities there, turned the islands into military bases and summer runways, and claimed to be creating a naval militia that could number hundreds of ships.
And in the East China Sea, China claims sovereignty over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, also known as the Diaoyu Islands. In recent years, the United States has reiterated its promise to protect the islands in the event of foreign aggression.
In a joint statement Monday, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida “expressed concern” over China’s security agreement with the Solomon Islands and its lack of “response to regional concerns”.
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